


under the stars

by ffreckles



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: 2009 Era (Phandom), M/M, New Year's Eve, basically they r just gay and cute as fuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:54:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22045192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ffreckles/pseuds/ffreckles
Summary: dan enters the new year by facing his fears[new year from 2009 to 2010]
Relationships: Dan Howell & Phil Lester, Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Kudos: 50





	under the stars

In recent years Dan had spent his New Years Eves home alone, watching fireworks go off around the world on TV as they echoed in the neighborhood around him. He didn’t care much for the festivities, although he thought they might be nice if he had someone to share them with.

The last few months had been different in the best way possible; Phil opened up his world and his mind and he couldn’t wait to explore it all together. For now, though, he was happy right where he was: with Phil in the home of his friend from uni, basking in simplicity and cheap Tesco champagne.

It was only a bit after 11PM, but Dan could already feel a slight buzz from said champagne. 

Figures move around him, chit-chatting the night away, and although he‘s _so_ tempted to small talk with them, he‘s on a mission _:_ find the guy who dragged him here in the first place. It doesn’t take long. Even among the hundred or so other people with dark, shaggy emo hair, Phil stands out. It might not seem that way to an outsider - Phil is most certainly not the only pale, stalky guy at this party - but Dan could never lose track of those beautiful blue eyes, that adorable laugh, that shy smile. Not in any crowd.

They make eye contact and both of their faces light up. Phil excuses himself from conversation, breaking away from the crowd and heading straight for Dan. 

“Couldn’t go more than 10 minutes without me?” Phil smirks.

Dan blushes, “Shut up, I just got bored...” He grabs Phil’s arm and drags them both outside.

As they reach the balcony Dan picks up a champagne glass, which he’d left on the coffee table outside before he set off on his mission for Phil. It’s nearly empty, but he figures he can stretch how long it lasts if he’s busy making conversation with a cute guy.

“God, I was hoping you’d come and save me from that.”

Dan chuckles, “Really?”

“Yeah.” Phil smiles, “I mean there’s only so much ‘catching up’ you can do until you’re kinda just sitting there, talking about weather or dogs or something.”

Dan laughs again, only this time quite a bit louder.

“What?”

“You’re the one who said we absolutely _had_ to come to this party, Phil.” His words are argumentative, his tone is playful, and his face says _I love you so I don’t really give a shit_.

Phil giggles, “Yeah, well, I was kinda more excited for the food and alcohol than anything.”

Dan swirls his champagne, not bothering to take a sip just yet. Instead, his focus is on the view in front of them. His eyes flow across the highs and lows of Manchester city buildings, watching the twinkling of the lights within them while wishing they didn’t drown out the stars above. He could see a few, but it was nothing compared to the symphony he could see back at Phil’s. Memories rushed back of watching the stars from the bedroom window together, warm and safe and uncertain of anything. 

Part of him missed the uncertainty, it was part of what made the beginning so exciting. It was new and confusing and Dan didn’t really know what to do with himself. Of course, Dan still felt all of that. He felt invigorated with something so new and special, but now there was the added element of security. He knew that even when he couldn’t see the stars so clearly, they were still there.

He’s knocked out of his daze when he hears a low hum of content beside him. 

Phil’s standing with his chin in his hands, elbows resting on the barricade in front of them, and he’s staring right at Dan. Dan swears he’s never seen someone more beautiful in his life.

“Enjoying the view?”

Phil hums again, a faint blush rising in his cheeks, only lit by the moon and the city before them. 

A few more people shuffle outside, and Dan figures it’s a good opportunity to go refill on champagne. 

“You want any?” He asks, raising his glass a bit as an indication.

“Sure.” Phil smiles, turning towards the city to take in the buildings full of stars. 

With people having found places to sit and corners to huddle in, there isn’t as much of a crowd for Dan to wade through. He’s able to find another glass pretty quickly once he’s in the kitchen, filling both up when he gets his hands on one of the last bottles remaining. He somehow manages to make his way through the house and back outside without spilling any of it.

“That ought to be some sort of record.”

“What, fastest champagne fetcher? Is that all you see me for, Phil?”

He snatches a glass from Dan’s hand, “Why of course! Now be gone, peasant.” He takes a sip in an attempt to hide his smile, raising his pinky in the air. All he manages to do is take a bit of champagne into his mouth and immediately spit it back out as he starts laughing.

Dan tries desperately not to smile, but can’t help it as he watches the boy in front of him devolve into a giggly mess. 

“Have you already gotten tipsy off just smelling it?”

Phil doesn’t answer, he just starts laughing more. Soon enough, Dan joins in. 

After a solid minute of sitting on the ground laughing their asses off, with no shortage of people staring, they manage to contain themselves. Phil picks up his glass which he’d set on the ground beside him, raising it into the air.

“Cheers.”

Dan clinks his glass against Phil’s, “Enjoy your backwash champagne, you twat.”

-

30 minutes and two glasses later, Dan can feel that familiar buzz coarse throughout his body. He can also feel the buzz of the music inside, blaring as about a hundred individuals jump up and down to it in sync. Instead of joining them, he simply bobbles his head back and forth to the rhythm, and after a few minutes of doing so he notices that Phil is doing the same thing.

“Killer moves, Phil.”

Phil giggles to himself, clearly a bit farther off than Dan. Just as the song stops playing, they can hear the DJ shouting something.

_One minute!_

“One minute till we’re in a new decade! How do you feel, Dan?” Phil holds an invisible microphone in front of Dan's face, pretending to interview him.

“Excited, and also a bit scared to be honest.”

“Why’s that?”

“So much happened in this decade, I don’t know if I’m ready for all the possible things that could happen in the next one...or for the disappointment if nothing happens at all.”

_30 seconds!_

“Oh, come on! You can’t start of 2010 by getting all existential on me.”

“I know, but if you really think about it, none of us are ever prepared for what’s to come.”

“Isn’t that kind of the point of getting excited about the future?”

Dan chuckles. He always had a way of making everything seem so dramatic, and Phil always had a way of turning it back around.

_10!_

“Hey, aren’t people normally supposed to kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve?”

_9!_

“Is that a tradition you cherish, Phil?”

_8!_

“Not that I hold it near and dear to my heart, but it might be nice.” Phil smirked.

_7!_

“I mean I-um-well…”

_6!_

_Fuck it._

_5!_

“Dan, you don’t have to-we don’t have to…”

_4!_

“I was just messing around, don’t feel pressured.”

_3!_

Dan simply stared back.

_2!_

“Dan?”

_1!_

He wrapped his arms around Phil’s neck and pulled him in.

_Happy New Year!_

Fireworks went off around the neighborhood, but they were nothing compared to the feeling when Dan finally touched his lips to Phil’s. It was one of the best feelings in the world, and he knew he could never give it up for anything. Sure, there was quite a bit of fear mixed in there, but most of it was relief. He felt like he’d just taken a decade worth of stress and anger and sadness off of his shoulders, and in a way, he had done just that. When Dan was with Phil, he felt safe, but when Dan kissed Phil, he felt even safer. 

When Dan finally pulled away, he didn’t bother to see if anyone was looking. That was new. He had gotten so used to being paranoid that he’d forgotten what it felt like to live without fear.

Phil smiled to himself, “That was nice.”

“Yeah, it was.” Dan responded. His hands still rested around Phil’s neck. He fiddled with his finger tips. Even though he hadn’t checked to see what was going on around them, he was far from perfectly calm and composed.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” His breath shook, reminding him just how terrified he really was. But as soon as his eyes met Phil’s that all seemed to fade away. Phil was his home, he trusted him.

“I’m more than okay.”

He pulled Phil towards him once more, not bothering to check how everyone else on the balcony felt about it. As their lips locked again he felt warm, and he felt safe, because under the stars, everything was alright.

**Author's Note:**

> omg thank u so much for reading!! this is my first time ever publishing to ao3 + my first time ever posting phan! i used to write on wattpad a few years ago and,,,lets just say i've come a long way.
> 
> i know this isnt the best but it was really fun to write so if people enjoy it i look forward to writing more in the future :-0  
> i love u thank u for reading T-T


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